The Modesto Design District is already home to a few pieces of publicly displayed art and has several bike racks, but not near enough of either. The Modesto Art Museum is planning to increase their number with three artistic bike racks and this is a chance for you to leave your artistic mark in Modesto.

The museum invites California artists, architects, engineers, designers, fabricators, and others to design and produce functional art bicycle racks to be located in the Modesto Design District and on the Modesto Historic Graffiti Cruise Route, the area between 10th and 16th and I to K Streets. Rack designs can be inspired by either the cruise route, made famous by George Lucas, or the design district, the museum’s newest city gallery where residents and visitors can experience and enjoy design of all kinds.

Three different racks will be selected and each of the three selected artists/designers will receive a fee of $3000 to cover the costs for design, fabrication, finishing, insurance, and transportation of the completed rack to the installation site. The project is in partnership with the City of Modesto and is funded by a grant from ArtPlace America. Deadline for proposals is February 28, 2014. Complete details and entry information is on the museum web site at http://modestoartmuseum.org/pages/bikerack.htm

The 7th annual Modesto International Architecture Festival is seeking entries of short movies (3 to 25 minutes) about architecture, architects, landscape, public art, and urban design. Only one entry per person or organization and the movie must have been completed on or after January 1, 2011. There is no entry fee. Movies can be any genre including narrative, documentary, experimental, or animation. Highest scored movies will be selected for screening at the festival; three cash awards will be given with a Grand Prize of $500. Information: http://modestoartmuseum.org/pages/movieentries.htm

The seventh annual Modesto International Architecture Festival is hosted by the American Institute of Architects Sierra Valley Chapter and the Modesto Art Museum. The festival, September 13-21, 2014, is nine days with dozens of exhibits, tours, talks, workshops, movies, and events. We expect about 5,000 people to participate in real time and space, and more than 25,000 to participate virtually.